AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
GO 
AGRICULTURAL EXHIBITIONS, 
The following from the Farm Journal cor¬ 
responds with what we have expressed in 
an article in the Times, especially that part 
of it which refers to agricultural exhibitions 
degenerating into horse races and raree 
shows. The Journal says : Many of our 
County Exhibitions the present, season, and 
the State one at Harrisburg may be included, 
have not come up to the expected standard, 
either in a financial point of view, or the 
number and variety of contributions. There 
lias been an. evident falling off, in a general 
way, from last year, the cause of which 
should be examined. No one can question 
the advantage to the farming community, in 
many respects, of these annual gatherings. 
Farmers having their business and residences 
often many miles apart have not the same 
conveniences as merchants, manufacturers, 
or mechanics, for frequent intercourse and 
transaction of business. They have no 
common place of meeting or change. Hence 
agricultural exhibitions are useful in bring¬ 
ing them together, enabling them to see and 
compare, from year to year, the improve¬ 
ments in stock, implements, new seeds or 
productions, &c., and if they are firmly es¬ 
tablished on a permanent and suitable basis, 
there can be but little doubt they will exer¬ 
cise a very beneficial influence on agricul¬ 
ture. We dislike, however, to see them 
languish or drag heavily along, to see them 
barely paying expenses, and to do this at all 
making it necessary for the recipients of 
premiums paltry as they often are, to relin¬ 
quish them for the “ good ” of the Society, 
and to have such persons held up as exam¬ 
ples of patriotism for others to imitate. We 
have regretted there should ever be a neces¬ 
sity for this, and also that to keep up an in¬ 
terest or excitement and draw a crowd, it 
has been thought advisable or necessary to 
introduce the race course as a regular fea¬ 
ture of the occasion ; also equestrianism by 
ladies, baby shows, as has been done in Ohio, 
and other additions a la showman. From 
what we have seen outside as well as inside 
of the grounds the present season, we fear 
these agricultural festivals are rapidly losing 
their original character and design, and de¬ 
generating into occasions lor dissipation, 
Force racing, intemperance, &c., and that 
we shall ere long have them accompanied 
from county to county by menagerie exhibi¬ 
tions, circus riding, jugglers, infant drum¬ 
mers, &C., el id omne genus. 
No one can fail to perceive that, more at¬ 
tention is given already to the course than to 
an examination of the improved stock, vege¬ 
table productions, or new implements. The 
question of who has raised the best crop and 
variety of wheat or corn, exhibited the best 
specimens of cattle, sheep or swine, is not 
thought so important, as who has the fastest 
horse. 
It seems to us the entering wedge is al¬ 
ready made for these exhibitions to change 
their character, and that it is well worthy 
considering how they can be maintained on 
their original intention. Must they be re¬ 
peated at less frequent intervals, must they 
lose their original character, or had'they 
better be abandoned? 
We recollect being present, some years 
ago, when Nicholas Biddle, at the close of a 
capital agricultural address, remarked that 
the world was governed by three boxes—the 
cartridge box, the ballot box, and the band 
box,/o) ce, reason and affection. We thought 
at the time one kind of box was omitted— 
the money box. Despicable as money maybe 
in the abstract, still, in these fast times, it is 
the Archimideau lever which moves the 
world, builds churches, school houses, rail¬ 
roads, makes peace and war, gives energy 
to every effort, is the aim of all human pur¬ 
suit, buys Durham stock, reaping machines, 
and we say it in a whisper, hoping no one 
will repeat it, even controls elections. Peo¬ 
ple genet ally will not work for philanthropy 
or patriotism solely, but for their pecuniary 
advantage ; and we believe that unless some 
advantage results pecuniarily to exhibitors 
from these annual displays, they will not 
continue their contributions, and the exhibi¬ 
tions themselves consequently drop. Believ¬ 
ing they have been and may be highly use¬ 
ful, this to us would be a matter of great re¬ 
gret. Our idea is, that in any section where 
an agricultural society flourishes, there will 
be enough public spirit to raise a permanent 
fund by donation or liberal subscriptions, 
the income of which should be appropriated 
as one object at least, to sustain the character 
of the annual exhibitions, and especially to 
increase the amount of premiums. Make 
these large enough to answer the object of 
remuneration, and thus excite competition. 
This is the design and meaning of a premi¬ 
um, which should indicate reward for excel¬ 
lence or success in any department, but in 
nine cases out of ten, to the recipient it now 
involves a real loss. Take, for instance, the 
premium offered for a display of vegetables, 
which varies from two to five dollars at the 
outside in most county societies’ schedules. 
They are raised with considerable expense 
of extra labor and manure, and would bring 
eight or ten dollars in market, but remain at 
the exhibition for two or three days until they 
become worthless. What advantage is a 
premium to such an exhibitor ? or a diploma. 
So with a fine cow which the owner may 
drive from five to fifteen miles, and run the 
risk of a two or three dollar premium or 
diploma. We have had cows which did not 
recover from the change of keep, fatigue of 
the journey, &c., for several weeks, and fell 
offin their yield of butter two or three pounds 
per week in consequence. We never could 
calculate that the two or three dollar pre¬ 
mium was a compensation, but that we were 
an actual sufferer by the operation. The 
same reasoning may be applied to almost 
any articles usually exhibited. The pre¬ 
miums are not generally large enough to 
pay. This appears to us the great secret, 
and unless there is some method to make 
them more worthy of serious effort and com¬ 
petition, we fear many of our old county 
societies will be unable to continue the in¬ 
terest in them by the public. 
Can not the same plan be pursued as with 
many of our institutions of learning, which, 
by endowment, bequest, or donation, have a 
permanent fund for their support independ¬ 
ent of their regular receipts. Several farms 
have been recently offered for the Farmers’ 
High School of Pennsylvania ; can not the 
same public spirit be directed to the perma¬ 
nent establishment of our county agricultur¬ 
al societies 1 In England premiums are 
made large enough to be highly and directly 
remunerative. They are made worth striv¬ 
ing for, and this is the key to their success. 
Ten, twenty, fifty, or one hundred dollars, 
for a good animal, a fine crop, a valuable im¬ 
plement, is an object. Premiums there de¬ 
serve their name, and if they could be made 
to partake of the same character here, we 
should find no necessity for bringing in ex¬ 
trinsic objects to attract attention and draw 
a crowd. 
At the late exhibition of the United States 
Agricultural Society at Boston, a fund was 
raised of $20,000 for the occasion. Every 
one knew beforehand this was equal to an 
insurance of success. 
EATING AND SLEEPING. 
Eating too Much. —What countless thou¬ 
sands it puts into the doctor’s pockets, fur¬ 
nishes his splendid mansion in Union-square 
and Fifth-avenue, enables Him to “ sport his 
carriage,” to own a villa on the banks of the 
Hudson, and live in style to the end of the 
chapter! 
11 1 can't help it," says the poor unfortunate 
milk-and-water individual, who never had de¬ 
cision enough to do a deed worthy of remem¬ 
brance an hour later. My wishey-washey 
friend, suppose I help you to avoid making 
a beast of yourself. 
Have two articles of food sent to your 
room, besides bread and butter, with half a 
glass of cold water. I will give you per¬ 
mission to eat as much as you want, thus, 
thrice a day. Or if you prefer eating with 
company, you may safely sit down to the 
“ best table ” in the land, if you have man¬ 
hood enough to partake of but any two arti¬ 
cles. It is the variety of our food which 
brutifies us. 
Don't Sleep Well. —Since the fullest 
amount of sleep is as essential to the health¬ 
ful working of mind and body as necessary 
food, it may be well to know how to secure 
it, as a general rule. 
1. Clarify your conscience. 
2. Take nothing later than two o’clock, P. 
M., except some bread and butter, and a 
small cup of weak tea of any kind, or half a 
glass of water, for supper. 
3. Go to bed at some regular early hour. 
Get up the moment you wake of yourself, 
even if at midnight. 
4. Do not sleep an instant in the day 
time. 
Unless your body is in a condition to re¬ 
quire special medical advice, nature will 
regulate your sleep to the wants of the sys¬ 
tem, in less than a month ; and you will not 
only go to sleep at once, but will sleep 
soundly. “ Second naps ” and siestas make 
the mischief.—Hall’s Jour, of Health. 
